Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Earning Our Own Way Versus Receiving Acceptance by Grace

Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these (Luke 12:27).

Our Kansas sunflowers have blossomed into September-lit, golden profusion this year. It seems amazing that these blooms spring up apart from the plan of a landscape artist or the maintenance of a squadron of gardeners. No human effort is involved in making these wildflowers grow.

I always think I have to put forth a lot of effort if I am to blossom in a way that is satisfactory to the Lord and to my fellow human beings. Trying to do things right in my own strength as opposed to basking in the acceptance that is mine through Christ is an ongoing struggle. Since placing Mom into nursing home care, I've been aware that I need to rest before the Lord, but instead I have plunged into a new round of activities (will I never learn)? I started physical
therapy for my back yesterday (a good thing) and was intent upon making that
therapist think I am a Really Good Patient (not a good thing). I was lying on the floor concentrating hard on exercises for my transverse abdominals when the following thoughts came into
my mind with the Lord's gentle remonstrance:

Sometimes,
we enter into a new relationship thinking, "Here is a chance for me to
start over and to do things right so that I will be accepted and not
rejected." This can be an innocuous relationship with a new physician, a
physical therapist or a health counselor, a nutritionist, or a weight
loss group. And we have to be careful, because during this time when we
feel that pleasing this person/people might be possible, without
realizing it we give up partaking of the unmerited favor that is ours
through Christ because we are working to gain favor of our own.

We
get the idea that it is impossible to please God, and so we stop
trying, and we turn our faces away from Him. The beauty of His grace,
offered to us through Christ, is that we don't have to try. Grace covers
us so that we don't have to deserve God's love, we have only to receive
it as an unmerited gift.

Having
received unmerited favor, we then have a template of how to love others
who don't deserve it. We offer them the grace that we have enjoyed
through Christ. But ahead of that, we must have given up the effort
to be acceptable in our own strength; we must have partaken of God's
grace in order to offer it to others.

When we are exacting with ourselves in the attempt to earn our own favor, we become exacting with others. Falling back into the grace that is ours through Christ will indeed lead us to the effort of obedience, but we will be released from the sure-to-be frustrated labor of attaining perfection through our own efforts.

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?

6 comments:

Oh, Linda. Such a wonderful post but then all your posts inspire and encourage me. I often wonder what things will be like when Mom is no longer living with me. I have always been an people pleaser, and have had to transition to being a God pleaser. With Mom, very often no matter what I do, doesn't please her so it gets discouraging. I'm always saying, "I've got to do better" or "Tomorrow, I will do better." I really needed to read your post today. Have a blessed day. I hope the therapy helps your back.

Linda, thank you for your sweet compliment on my post regarding fibromyalgia. I was going to send the graphic to you that you liked so much and then realized it was from Pinterest. I don't know etiquette regarding that so didn't know if I should have taken it or not to put it on my blog so I'm going to take the graphic down. Here is the link to where I found the graphic.https://www.pinterest.com/donnamaelucas/fibromyalgia/

Thank you, Melanie. I really did think that was a beautiful graphic! It inspires me to become more adept at using PicMonkey. I'll bet Abby at Little Birdie Blessings could whip up something similar in no time flat. She has great virtuosity with memes and amazing artistic talent t'boot.

Wonderful, wise words here Linda. I used this same verse on my facebook page today. God must have a message for His people. I highly recommend "The Best Yes" by Lysa Terkeurst. I haven't visited her in awhile and didn't realize your dear mom was in nursing home care. Thank you for all you do to encourage others. Your are loved and appreciated. ~ Abby

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About Me

If my mom hadn't gotten Alzheimer's, I would never have written a book
for caregivers. If I hadn't lost the reading program that meant so much
to me, I wouldn't have taken early retirement from my teaching job. If I
hadn't already had author status, I'd never have written a novel that
is a tribute to how much I loved teaching kids to read. If God hadn't
kept my heart's needs in mind through the sorrows He allowed, a
traditional publishing company never would have picked up either of my
books. And if I hadn't become overweight, I'd never have learned about God's mercy and grace in a way that would help others and free me from a lifelong case of self-condemnation. I am grateful, and have peace in the understanding that God truly
does work all things together for good.